


Who are you?

by LilyJames090



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Amnesia, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-20 21:35:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3666003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyJames090/pseuds/LilyJames090
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aaron wakes from a coma with no memory of the past year. How will he cope? And how will Robert cope knowing that his lover doesn't remember him, doesn't remember what they had?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, I know this has been an extremely popular prompt for fanfics so I apologise if anybody thinks I am stealing their ideas. I saw the prompt here: http://livesysugden.tumblr.com/post/115134229216/what-if-aaron-had-amnesia-after-his-fall-and-he  
> I do not own Emmerdale or the characters mentioned in this story.

Robert paced up and down the hospital waiting room, hands shoved low in his pockets in an attempt to stop pulling at his hair, ignoring the glares that Chas sent at him.

  
Three weeks. Three long weeks Aaron had been in a coma for following his accident, and this was the day that the doctors believed he would finally wake up. At first, Robert had barely left Aaron’s side but Chrissie began to get suspicious about all the business meetings that Robert had been attending, so he had had to stop visiting Aaron’s comatose state.

Chas still hated Robert but she had grown used to seeing him at her son’s bedside, hearing the “I love you Aaron, please wake up”’s that Robert whispered to her son when he thought no one could hear him. She had actually been angry when he had stopped visiting, saying that Chrissie was getting suspicious of his whereabouts, and an angry showdown with him and Paddy in the back room of the pub had resulted in her threatening to tell Chrissie if he didn’t stay away from Aaron.

However, he had seen Chas and Paddy racing to their car that morning, and Robert had instinctively known that it was to do with Aaron. So he had got in his car and followed them to the hospital, confronting them once they had arrived.

It was an understatement to say that they had not been pleased to see Robert there, but had reluctantly told him about the phone call they had received from the hospital informing them that Aaron was showing signs of waking up.

Robert felt a grin spread across his face at the news, until Chas had informed him that it was likely he had suffered brain damage and they wouldn’t know the extent of it until he was fully conscious. His stomach had dropped at that, he hated the idea of Aaron being permanently affected by the accident.

Finally a doctor appeared, telling the trio that they could go in and see Aaron if they wished. Within seconds they were inside the room, Robert suddenly feeling awkward. He hovered by the door as Paddy and Chas sat next to the ben, grasping his hands. Robert moved towards the end of the bed, looking down at Aaron.

Aaron. The man that Robert had fallen completely in love with. Aaron had charged into Robert’s life and turned everything upside down. Everything that Robert thought he wanted had suddenly become unappealing- the flash cars, the big house and most of all the wife. Robert was still with Chrissie because he was too cowardly to tell her that he was having an affair with a man without Aaron being stood by his side.

Robert held his breath as Aaron’s eyelids began to flicker, watching as Chas and Paddy grasped his hands tighter and a nurse began pressing buttons on the machine that had been keeping Aaron alive.

He let out a soft moan and moved his head slightly, and Chas covered her mouth with a small squeal. Her son was being returned to her. Aaron’s eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the bright light of the hospital room.

He first looked at Chas, and the ghost of a smile traced over his lips. “Hi mum.” He whispered, coughing. The nurse brought water over and helped him to drink, softening the pain in his throat.

Paddy was next, and he received the same ghost smile as Chas. “Paddy.” Robert saw tears welling up in both Chas and Paddy’s eyes.

Robert was next, and he felt time slow down as the smile dropped from Aaron’s face, being replaced with confusion. “Hey Aaron. It’s good to see you awake.” Robert offered a smile, but Aaron continued to look confused.

The next words that Aaron spoke shocked Robert to the core, made him drop the plastic cup containing the weak coffee he’d got out of the machine and Chas and Paddy to cover their mouths in shock.

“Who are you?”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron wakes from a coma with no memory of the past year. How will he cope? And how will Robert cope knowing that his lover doesn't remember him, doesn't remember what they had?

Two months later.

Aaron sat at the bar, staring into a glass of orange juice. It really sucked not being able to drink alcohol because of the medication that he was on. All he wanted to do was get drunk and forget about everything.

He smiled wryly to himself. Well, he wanted to do the opposite of that actually. He wanted to remember. He did not remember anything after being in France, and had been shocked to wake up in that hospital and hear people speaking his own language to him.

Some doctor had explained that he had fallen down a quarry and suffered in a head injury, causing his to fall into a coma and develop amnesia. Everything from the past year or so had completely gone.

Aaron had recognised most people as they were people he had been familiar with before he went to France. Of course there were some that he didn’t know, but that was only to be expected as people had moved into the village since he had left.

It was confusing to see the changes that had occurred- people getting married, having kids or dying.

One person in particular puzzled Aaron and he was frustrated that he couldn’t remember anything about him. The blond man that had been in Aaron’s hospital room when he woke up.

Chas had explained that he was Robert Sugden and lived at home farm. Apparently he had been Robert’s business partner, but that didn’t explain why he was in the hospital room when he woke up or why she and Paddy suddenly looked shifty when Aaron brought him up in conversation.

He hadn’t seen the man since the incident in the hospital. As soon as Aaron had asked who he was the man had turned and fled, leaving Chas and Paddy open-mouthed in shock.

He had remained in the hospital for almost two months after waking up so that the doctors could monitor him and see if his memory retuned. He remembered small things- he remembered that Chas had a boyfriend although he couldn’t remember his name and that Adam and Victoria were together.

He had been out of hospital for just under a week and was sick of everybody fussing over him. He had amnesia, he wasn’t a toddler. They all seemed to think that he had lost his ability to do everything like tie his shoe laces or go to the toilet on his own.

Aaron saw two guys staring at him from the other side of the bar. “Problem?” Aaron asked them, scowling. Aaron remembered Adam explaining to him that they were his half-brothers, Finn and Ross. Finn was gay, but Aaron was definitely not ready to get laid yet. The older one, Ross, cocked an eyebrow at Aaron.

“Ain’t it weird? Not being able to remember things, I mean.” He asked. The younger one, Finn, nudged his brother and gave Aaron an apologetic smile. “Ross, you can’t ask that.” He admonished his brother.

“Why not?” Aaron held back a grin. He thought that this Ross and he had probably got along quite well.

“Yeah, it’s confusing. I only know who you are cos Adam explained it to me. I don’t remember if we were mates or anything, I only remember the people who lived here before I left for France.” Aaron explained.

Ross looked genuinely interested, and Aaron was about to explain more when a pretty brunette walked into the pub with a teenage boy Aaron assumed to be her son. Aaron suddenly felt a wave of guilt hit him, but he had no idea why because as far as he knew he didn’t know this woman or her son.

“Aaron, hi! How are you?” The woman headed over to Aaron, and he gave her his best fake smile.

“Hi, I’m alright. Sorry but who are you? It’s just that I don’t remember people I met in the past year.” Aaron felt the need to apologise because he felt awful that he had forgotten people.

“Oh sorry, we should’ve introduced ourselves. I’m Chrissie and this is my son Lachlan. I’m married to Robert Sugden, we live at Home Farm with my dad. Robert should have been here too but he had a business meeting.” Chrissie explained, although it made Aaron feel more confused. She was married to Robert, the blond guy from the hospital room?

“Oh, right Well it’s nice to meet you… again, Chrissie. Lachlan.” He nodded at the grumpy looking teen before returning his attention to Chrissie. He still felt slightly guilty, but he had no idea why.

“You alright love?” Chas looked at him warily as she saw her son watching Chrissie.

“Yeah, I’m gunna go up now. I’ll see you later.” He kissed her cheek and went up to his small room, laying on his bed and thinking.

He felt a dull ache in his chest as if something was missing, only he had no idea what. He remembered everything about Jackson, about breaking up with Ed whilst in France but choosing to stay there on his own.

Apparently he was single, but again Chas had acted strangely when Aaron asked her. It didn’t explain the ache in his chest, because it was similar to the ache had had felt when Jackson had gone. Aaron knew that something big was missing from his life, only he couldn’t remember what it was.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron wakes from a coma with no memory of the past year. How will he cope? And how will Robert cope knowing that his lover doesn't remember him, doesn't remember what they had?

Robert sat at his desk, staring into his coffee. Chrissie had gone to the pub with Lachlan but Robert had lied and said he had work to do. That was a lie: he didn’t want to go because he couldn’t face Aaron.

He knew that they would have to meet at some point but Robert had been having nightmares about Aaron and the confused look on his face when he woke up and saw Robert. So far, Robert had managed to avoid crying out Aaron’s name during one of the nightmares, but it was only a matter of time before Chrissie realised something was wrong.

The nightmares were getting worse and worse. Aaron’s rejection of Robert had broken Robert’s heart and now Robert felt as if a huge part of him was missing. He would not feel whole again until Aaron remembered him and their relationship, and Robert wasn’t even sure that it was ever going to happen.

Robert knew that he had to stay away from Aaron for Aaron’s sake. It would only confuse him if Robert tried to explain what they had had, the way that Robert was completely in love with the other man. So, despite the pain it was causing him, Robert was determined to do something selfless for once and leave Aaron alone.

Scrolling through his phone, Robert came across the last text that Aaron had sent him before the accident. It was after Robert had told Aaron he had to leave because Chrissie was on her way back, and even though it was over two months ago Robert remembered clearly the look on Aaron’s face, the broken, dejected look as Robert told him to leave.

Robert had phoned Aaron and apologised, promising that they would have a chance to be together soon and that Robert was planning on leaving Chrissie to be with Aaron properly. Robert had expected Aaron to want him to leave Chrissie immediately, but Robert was surprised by his response.

After the phone call, Aaron had text Robert: ‘Take your time, Robert. I’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready to tell everyone. We’ll sort it out together. I love you x.’ Robert had simply replied with his three favourite words to say to Aaron: ‘I love you x.’

Robert felt the tears pool in his eyes and he wiped them away before they had a chance to fall. Chrissie would be back soon, and she would be suspicious if she returned to find Robert crying. He headed out to his car to go for a drive, something that he had always found would calm him down.

However, the drive only made things worse. He passed places that reminded him of Aaron – the road where they had shared their first kiss and where Robert had confessed to killing Katie, the barn where the pair used to meet up. By the time he returned to Home Farm Chrissie was back, so Robert composed himself and headed indoors.

“Hey love, how was it?” He asked, feeling guilty as he kissed her cheek.

“It was fine. We saw Aaron, he seems to be doing okay.” Robert’s heart sank as he heard Aaron’s name. He was the last person that he wanted Chrissie to talk about.

“Oh, right. Well, do I’m going to carry on with a bit more work, I’m almost done.” He made his excuses and left, leaving a slightly confused Chrissie staring at his retreating back.

Later, Robert lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, feeling the pain of losing Aaron’s love rip through him. He wrapped his arms around himself tightly as if he could hold himself together, something he had done as a young boy.

Chrissie lay just inches away from Robert yet was oblivious to his pain as she lay sleeping peacefully, he hair fanned out on the pillow and chest rising and falling with every breath she took.

It would have been so much easier, Robert thought, if he had never fallen for Aaron. Chrissie would have – should have – been enough for Robert, he didn’t need any more. Only he did. He needed Aaron, his grumpy grease monkey who was able to see straight through the façade that Robert put up.

The only problem was, he didn’t know if he would ever have Aaron back.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron wakes from a coma with no memory of the past year. How will he cope? And how will Robert cope knowing that his lover doesn't remember him, doesn't remember what they had?

Aaron soon returned to work, although everybody warned him that he would not be able to do much. He was fed up of everybody hanging round him as if he was about to collapse all the time. As much as he loved his mum and Paddy, there was only so much of their fussing that he could tolerate before going mad.

He enjoyed being back _at_ the scrapyard, despite having very few memories of setting up the business. Adam was in charge and apparently Robert had been around to help out a bit, although he never seemed to be there at the same time as Aaron.

Aaron was limited in what he could do at the scrapyard as he was still not strong enough to lift heavy things, but he could talk to customers and deal with the paperwork. It was just a relief to get away from the pub.

One day Aaron was working alone in the office when he suddenly felt his chest tighten as a flicker of some distant memory returned to him. The soft smell of a cologne that smelt expensive, way more expensive than anything Aaron could ever afford. The feel of a silk tie and expensive suit jacket as he pushed them to the floor, again definitely not Aaron’s. And finally the scratch of hay as he fell against it, pulling a lean body tight against him.

Aaron breathed heavily, his head pounding as he held on to the edge of the desk tightly. The memory was hazy in places but other parts were clear. Aaron had been in a barn somewhere with a man, but Aaron’s memory had closed off before Aaron could work out who the man was. Aaron was confused, but he had a strange feeling, the memory just felt so… _right_.

Aaron frowned. Chas had definitely said that Aaron wasn’t seeing anybody, so was this guy just a one night stand? But in a barn? Why wouldn’t they have been in a room with a proper bed? Questions flooded through Aaron’s mind, and he gave up trying to work.

Grabbing his stuff, he locked up the cabin and began the walk back into the village. He decided to take a detour to attempt to clear his head, but the smell of the cologne, the tough of the unknown man’s smooth skin against Aaron’s and the feeling of being slightly more complete played on his mind.

Walking past the farm, Aaron passed a barn and had a sense of déjà vu. Stopping dead in his tracks, he suddenly felt certain that this was the barn. He had no way of knowing for definite, but he just felt as if this was the pace that he had remembered, the barn where he had been with the other man.

Debating whether to go into the barn or not, Aaron decided to enter and see if he remembered anything else. As soon as he got into the barn more memories came flooding back. He remembered every little detail- the way the sun illuminated the dust and hay that floated in the air, the annoyance at being made to wait, the pounding of his heart as he heard footsteps approach

But the identity of the man remained a secret, it felt so close but just outside of Aaron’s reach. He remembered little things about the man, the pale smooth skin dotted with freckles, the soft skin. But his face was always out of focus, Aaron couldn’t even tell the colour of the hair. The man’s voice was like an echo so Aaron couldn’t quite work out the voice.

Feeling faint, Aaron suddenly knew that this hadn’t just been a one night stand. Something inside his was telling that this was more than this- that there were feelings involved and that this man meant a lot to him. The ache in his chest and the feeling that something was missing was somehow linked to this mystery man. Aaron just needed to work out who he was.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron wakes from a coma with no memory of the past year. How will he cope? And how will Robert cope knowing that his lover doesn't remember him, doesn't remember what they had?

Robert knew that Chrissie had begun to get suspicious about Robert’s behaviour. He was barely sleeping, dark shadows under his eyes clear. It wasn’t that Robert couldn’t get to sleep, he didn’t want to. When he was awake he could distract himself and chase away the memories of Aaron. But as soon as he fell asleep, everything came flooding back- the look on Aaron’s face, a montage of memories of the good times they had shared.

Chrissie had begun asking questions but Robert lied over and over again to her, pretending that he was just stressed about work and that he was having trouble sleeping. She asked if it was to do with Aaron and Robert felt his stomach drop- had he cried out Aaron’s name in his sleep? But Chrissie had explained that she was concerned that as Robert was doing more at the scrapyard because Aaron couldn’t do it he was putting himself under a lot of pressure.

Robert had managed to avoid Aaron but knew that he couldn’t do it forever. So the next time that Chrissie suggested going to the Woolpack, Robert agreed. He was relieved when they arrived and Aaron was nowhere to be seen.

Spotting Chas at the bar, he told Chrissie to grab a table whilst he got their drinks. Leaning against the bar, he got Chas’ attention and even though she rolled her eyes and sighed, she headed over to where he was.

“What can I get for you Robert?” She asked, putting on a fake smile.

“A large glass of red and a pint please Chas.” It was the first time he had spoken to her since the incident at the hospital. “How’s Aaron?”

Chas sighed again. “You shouldn’t be asking about him, Robert. He doesn’t remember you and its going to stay that way. He won’t recover unless you let him move on and maybe one day he will remember But you can’t force him.”

Robert stared down at his hands and spoke the next words quietly so only Chas heard them. “Please, Chas. I love him, I will leave him alone beause I know that’s what is best for him. I just need to know that he’s okay.”

“Okay, but you’d better stay away from him. He’s doing okay, he’s back at the scrapyard. He’s asked about you several times- why you were in the hospital room, whether the two of you were friends, that sort of thing. I lied and said you were just business partners and that you were the one who found him so thought you should be there.”

Robert smiled slightly. At least Aaron was doing okay. “Has he been out running?” Robert asked.

Chas shook her head as she answered. “No, I’ve made sure of that. We can’t have the same thing happening again. That’s why you need to stay away from him. You might push him back to the way he was before and I couldn’t handle that.”

Chrissie suddenly appeared next to Roert so they abruptly finished their conversation. “What’s aking so long?” She asked, frowning.

“Sorry love, I was just asking about Aaron.” Robert apologised, glancing at Chas as sh passed the drinks over and Robert handed her the money.

“Oh, right. Well come on, I’ve got our table.” She grabbed her glass and walked off.

“Robert, look I am sorry about this. I know that Aaron really did love you and even though I really didn’t approve of your relationship what with you being married, I know you made him extremely happy. So I’m sorry, I honestly do wish things were different.” She smiled sadly and patted his hand and walked off, leaving Robert stood open-mouthed.

Grabbing the drinks, he headed over to the table Chrissie had got them, Chas’ words playing over and over in his head. It had taken a long time, but finally Chas had seen that their relationship was not wrong and that Aaron genuinely loved Robert and that the feelings were returned.

Hopefully it wasn’t too late.


End file.
